10 Things
by neverumind
Summary: She knew they'd leave her eventually but not that soon. He'd brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead, "I'm not leaving you." It was a promise he had intended to keep. And he had.


Hey. Hi. Hello. I kept this in my google docs until I could finish it and I think I've done it okay. I own nothing but my unnamed character. Go ahead and name her if you want. Might make this a 10 chapter story. Let me know what you think!

Confidence. It's the very first thing he truly notices about her, the way she'd throw her head back and laugh with her entire body. The big grins, all teeth, walking into the room and looking at 'd just smiled up at him, reaching out a hand in greeting. Her skin was warm and soft, it was a good handshake, he didn't worry about breaking hers. She reminded him of Bucky, all easy charm and smiles, it drew everyone to them.

The second thing he notices about her is her eyes, he had thought them brown, hazel maybe but no, they were yellow with a green tint in the light. Usually they were welcoming but he'd heard several agents whispering about those unnerving eyes. He found them lovely, he'd tried over and over to get them just right in his sketchbook, nothing ever seemed close enough. It took him time but he realized there was no life to them. Once or twice he'd find himself pinned in his spot by those eyes, it was all he could do not to shift.

She's stronger than she looks, he's seen her bounced of the concrete and stand right back up again. Always the first to jump into the fray if it meant stopping one of them from getting hurt. The first time they'd spared he'd been hesitant to actually hit her but she'd managed to clock him a good one in the gut, leaving him winded. They never went all out but he was sure they were pretty evenly matched.

History. There's a lot of that that comes with her, centuries that only exists in books for him. She talks about it with him, bringing the balls and overly ornate dresses to life for him. This is a woman who watched monarchies rise and fall, seen an original shakespeare play, watched the automobile come into existence. They understand each other, even now, it all seems like another planet. She keeps mementos from years gone by, a lovely green gown that compliments her skin tone and she sits long enough for him to sketch her.

There's a wildness about her, long hair that's all the shades of brown and gold, curling all the way down. Out in the forest, just the two of them she's in her element, she moves slower, breathes deeper. He watched her tilt her head back, sticking out her tongue and catching the rain in her mouth. She never complains about city life but this is the most at ease he's ever seen her and he takes joy in just watching her shake the city off.

He swears he loves her the moment she accepts that he won't give up on Buck, laying a hand over his and giving him a reassuring squeeze. She's went to war over the people she loves, the need to protect loved ones is something she understands all to well. She doesn't begrudge him when she becomes a fugitive, she's been one before. They do well on the run, the three of them fit together.

She gives herself up to them to protect him and Nat, it hurts to watch them take her, hurts to watch her just surrender. They fall on her, swarm her and she does nothing to fight back, she just gives in. They get her back, she's bloodied and her clothes are torn but her spirit is still there. He wonders if she's always been this resilient or if the centuries alone have made her this way.

Her heart is her best feature, the love and forgiveness she can dole out is immeasurable. She's the first person to put up a fight and to tell anyone off but she understands when his heart is broken by Peggy's death. She knows what it's like to love someone and lose them, to love two people in two very different ways at the same time. He'd taken her death like the soldier he was, stoic and calm but he couldn't hide the despair in his eyes. Each of them have their ghosts, sometimes they'll talk of the ones they've left behind. She has a way of bringing them all to life, her ability to share her life astounds him.

It's not until a particularly bad fight he realizes she's scared. He'd been laying in a drug induced coma in a secret lair, Nat was banged up pretty badly laying on a cot a little ways away and She was standing there, hands shaking just slightly. They'd never seen anything faze her, whatever came her way she just kept moving on. It takes him time but he gets it outta her. She'd be terrified that they'd left her. They were human, she was something else. Never before had they taken a beating that bad, She knew they'd leave her eventually but not that soon. He'd brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead, "I'm not leaving you."

It was a promise he had intended to keep. And he had.

The last thing he notices about her, is how beautiful she truly is. She's not Nat, with red hair and an enticing accent, her beauty is in all the lives she'd lead before him. Her soul had shone through all the blood and all the dark times. He knew she was stunning, but his Dame was beautiful. Bucky had faded before their eyes and she had started to do the same, unnerving eyes looking into his. Her hand reaching out and touching his before the burst of light, a light so bright it had nearly blinded them. "I love you." In his hand had been her locket, a silver oval with a garnet buried in its center.

They couldn't believe she'd been taken from them, but Steve knew better. He had felt the pull of the stones and She had offered herself up in his place. She had put him first, slipping the locket into his hand, it would always protect its bearer. She had lived a thousand lives, traveled the world hundreds of times over. Her soul was old, weary even though it burned as brightly and as beautifully as it had. Her time had come, but this was his chance to make this right.

It's why 3 years later when they finally defeat Thanos he slips the locket over Nat's head, letting himself succumb to his injuries. He might be Captain America, a hero and villain but right now, he just wants to be hers again.


End file.
